Wretched
by Ghislaine Emrys
Summary: Held prisoner by a bounty hunter, Heyes wonders where Kid is as he tries to escape.


**Wretched**

by Ghislaine Emrys

There was a bowl of water next to him on the bed. He drank some and spilled more, but he was so thirsty he lapped up as much as he could.

Time passed.

He didn't know how long he'd been there. He didn't even know how he got there. All he had was a vague memory of playing poker in a saloon one night, eating and drinking and winning as usual, and then waking up barefoot, his right foot securely tied to a bed with a foul-smelling mattress, his hands tied behind him.

He could see he was in a cabin, but there were no windows and it was dark so he couldn't tell if it was night or day. He could hear, though, and the scurrying sounds made him uneasy. There was no furniture except the bed and a basin on the floor to his left.

A man entered the cabin and Heyes got a glimpse of sunlight. Is it morning or afternoon? I wish I knew how long I've been here. The man paused by the door, saying nothing, just looking at his prisoner lying helpless. He approached Heyes and exchanged the bowl he was holding for the other one on the bed. He closed the door as he went out, still without saying a word, and Heyes was left in the dark.

More time passed.

Heyes tried to figure out how to escape. The rope binding his wrists was tight. He flexed his hands, trying to create some slack. It didn't work. He shook his leg, to see if he could loosen the rope. Nope. He was stuck. For now. Heyes had no doubt that he'd be able to free himself eventually. But if he couldn't, then Kid would do it for him.

He lay on his back, thinking. I don't remember seeing that man in the saloon so he must have a partner somewhere. He knows who I am, but I have no recollection of him. He was never a member of a gang I rode with, and I never crossed paths with him when I was robbing banks and trains. If he was a sheriff, he wouldn't go to all this trouble. Must be a bounty hunter. Whoever he is, I will defeat him, one way or another.

Heyes shifted and looked into the bowl. It contained some kind of broth, and there were lumps floating on top. He had to keep his strength up, be ready to escape when an opportunity presented itself, but he didn't know when he'd get more food so he had to ration how much he ate at any one time. He wasn't hungry, so he carefully rolled over onto his back and continued thinking.

Where's Kid? Is he all right or is he in trouble, too? How long will it be before he realizes I'm in trouble? How long will it take him to find me? Heyes had no doubt that Kid would find him. Hey, Kid? Make it soon, will you?

They could sense when the other one was in danger. How many times have I been miles away but known you needed my help? Like that time you were in Santa Marta—even before the telegram, I had a feeling something awful had happened. Or I'm in trouble and you have to, well, you know. Have to admit, this'd be another good time to show off your skill with a gun, Kid.

Heyes must have dozed off because he suddenly heard a noise. Oh, great. Rats. Lots of them, running all over the place. Now I have to make sure they don't get into that bowl and eat my food.

Heyes slowly turned onto his stomach, eyeing the liquid in the bowl sloshing around as he tried to make himself more comfortable. His shoulders ached so he figured he'd been tied up for several hours, maybe even a day.

He sighed. Would've been nice if that bounty hunter had tied my hands in front. Would've made it easier to eat. Heyes had to lie on his belly and stick his face in the bowl and slurp up the broth as best he could. He got half of it down his throat and managed to spill only a little onto the bed. Not the most enjoyable meal I've ever had.

He wiggled his hands some more. All he achieved were rope burns. He gave up trying to free himself that way.

Maybe I can use my hands to loosen the rope around my foot. He tried to sit up so he could move to the end of the bed. Dizziness overcame him and he collapsed onto his back.

Very slowly, Heyes sat up again, giving his head a chance to stop spinning. He scooted down to the edge of the bed. Got to be careful. Don't want to knock the bowl over. Don't want to fall off the bed, either; might be difficult to get back on. And I sure don't want to be on the floor with those rats.

When Heyes finally got a good look at how he was tied to the bed, he groaned. The rope that bound him was coiled around his ankle several times and tied with many knots. It would take him hours to undo it, even if he had full use of his hands. At least it's not like being caught in a steel bear trap. Close, though. Heyes continued to stare at the rope around his leg. Maybe inspiration would strike if he looked long enough.

He didn't know how long he sat there, just staring.

Heyes' fingers were bleeding from rubbing against the strands of the coarse rope when he finally stopped working at it. He twisted round so he could see the rope. It didn't look like he'd made any progress at all. Heyes refused to be disappointed.

He thought again about his partner. Kid should've figured out by now something's wrong. He's smart. He knows if a job or person or place don't look right, something's likely wrong with it. Kid's better than me at sniffing out danger, not that I'd ever tell him that. But it's why he's so good at watching my back. Just a matter of time before Kid tracks me down.

Having cheered himself up, Heyes got back to work on the leg rope. It was slow going. He rubbed his foot against the bedpost, trying to slide the rope off. He was successful only in gashing his ankle on splinters in the rough wood. Blood spurted out and soaked into the already-filthy mattress.

His shoulders hurt, his fingers hurt, and his stomach was beginning to hurt, too. Suddenly, his gut cramped up and waves of pain shot up and down his torso. Maybe I'm dehydrated; probably need to drink more liquid. Only had that one bowl of water and some soup since I've been here. Wish I could work out how long that's been.

Heyes wriggled back up the bed until his head could reach the bowl. He slurped up some broth. His hair fell into the bowl as he reached the bottom but he didn't care as long as the cramps went away. He left the gobs of meat for later, when his stomach could handle solid food better.

His face was sticky so he wiped his mouth on the mattress. He gagged at the reek of stale tobacco, cheap whiskey, and dried sweat.

The cramps weren't going away. In fact, they were getting worse. Heyes lay on his stomach, hoping the pressure would reduce the pain, and tried to avoid inhaling the stink of the bed.

All of a sudden, he retched. Most of it landed on the floor. Some of it dribbled down his chin and his was disgusted. Come on, Kid. Get me out of here so I can take a bath.

He shivered. Temperature's gone down; must be night. Sure is cold. Wish I had my boots and a blanket. Heyes drifted into a restless sleep.

When he woke up, there was a new bowl on the bed. He hadn't heard the bounty hunter come in to replace it.

Kid must be looking for me by now. He can't be too far away. Got to be here soon. Heyes held on to that comforting thought for a long time.

The cramps had subsided while Heyes slept. But now, he needed to relieve himself. Even if he'd thought of it while the bounty hunter had been there, Heyes knew he wouldn't have been allowed the dignity of leaving the cabin to take care of things. He was going to have to manage on his own, inside.

Except, he knew he couldn't. It wasn't possible, tied up the way he was. The basin was on the ground, tantalizing him, but he was unable to use it. He slid as close as he could to the edge of the bed and gave in to the inevitable. Felt it running down his legs, wetting his longjohns and pants, wetting the bed.

Felt even worse, after.

Like when we were at Valparaiso and Jed and me were hiding 'cos he was hungry and we took some food from the kitchen. Jed was too young and scared to stick up for himself, so I had to take care of him. I was glad to do it, too. But I got stuck in our secret cubbyhole and it took so long for Jed to come back with help, I couldn't hold it anymore. Had to find a new hideout after that.

Kid's my best friend and I still need to look out for him. 'Course, I won't object if he wants to even things up a bit now. Hurry up, Kid!

Heyes lay there for a good long time. His clothes were soaked but there was nothing he could do about it. He tried to ignore the discomfort.

Hungry, he moved over to the bowl. This time, the liquid was brown. How unappetizing. But he stuck his head in and drank some. Good thing I was the one who got caught—Kid would definitely not like the food at this restaurant. The joke sounded feeble even to him.

His stomach began to cramp and he felt sick. Oh, not again. Please, not again. This time, he positioned himself so he could reach the basin. After, he rinsed his mouth out with some broth but it wasn't strong enough to wash the sour taste away.

Heyes rolled over onto his back. He closed his eyes and eventually fell asleep.

The rats crept nearer, sniffing the floor around the bed. A few climbed up onto the mattress and licked the dried blood from the cuts on Heyes' foot. He dreamed he was being caressed and his body trembled with pleasure. The rats scuttled away.

When he awoke, Heyes was thirsty. He drank more of the broth. Then he shifted so he could work at the ropes that held him captive. He groaned, feeling miserable. This is not going the way it's supposed to. Where are you, Kid? What's taking you so long? I know you're a good tracker and you won't give up, no matter how faint the trail. But, damn it, you should've been here by now. It can't be that hard to find me, can it? Heyes almost smiled. He could hear Kid's voice telling him not to be so proddy.

The pain in his body, the smell and mess of the bed, the rats on the floor-all were conspiring against him as he attempted to untie his bonds. Heyes slumped in despair. For the first time, he wondered if he'd be able to get free.

He lay there, trying to breathe evenly, trying not to let panic overtake him. Stay calm. I have to stay calm. Don't give up. Don't let that bounty hunter win. That isn't going to happen. I will escape. I will.

But how? Every time he ate or drank he felt sick, and he was no closer to loosening the ropes than when he started hours—days?—ago.

In a flash, it hit him. The food was making him sick. The man must be drugging it; there was no other explanation.

Heyes slept some more. He was stiff when he woke up. He was hungry but didn't eat. He'd wait as long as he could before putting more of that poison into his body.

What happened to Kid? How's he ever going to find this place? Maybe they're just waiting for Kid to show himself so they can capture him, too. Maybe that was the plan from the very beginning. Use me as bait to capture Kid. Then, no more Hannibal Heyes or Kid Curry. Dead is just as good, and a whole lot easier, than alive.

Heyes lay there. His mouth was dry but he didn't want to drink the broth. He held out as long as he could, but finally he broke down and slid up to the bowl. He almost knocked it over as he lowered his face into it. He took in a mouthful and drops stuck to the beard beginning to show on his face.

His mind wandered. He thought about places he'd been and places he wanted to go to but wasn't sure which was which. Faces kept showing themselves but he couldn't put names to them. He heard a low moan from somewhere and a sound like, "Kid…?"

He felt sick again but was too tired to move. Wasn't sure why he should until he retched and it landed on top of him. Then he rolled over, and smeared the mess into his shirt and the mattress.

Shortly after that, he felt a wetness against his legs. Didn't know where it came from. He rolled away but he was still wet.

The stench no longer bothered Heyes. He was only vaguely aware of his surroundings, couldn't remember why he was there. He tried at some point to turn over but he only managed to knock the bowl onto the floor. The contents splattered and the rats quickly feasted on it.

Time passed.

A sharp sound pulled Heyes back to the verge of consciousness. He heard another sound, then nothing.

A man came through the door. The bright light behind him caused Heyes to blink his eyes open. Silhouetted by the sun, and half blind from being in the dark so long, all Heyes could make out was that the man had curly hair. The light hurt and Heyes closed his eyes.

"Oh, God, Heyes, what did they do to you?" The man stopped at the edge of the bed. In his hand was not a bowl but a gun.

Heyes wondered if he should know the man. But it took too much effort to think and he didn't have the strength.

Kid looked at his best friend, trussed up and lying helpless on the bed. He hadn't known what he'd find but he hadn't been expecting this. This was bad. Kid could tell that Heyes didn't even recognize him.

As Kid's eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw what he'd missed when he first entered the cabin. The filthy mattress Heyes was lying on. Heyes' clothes covered with food remains and other easily identified stains. Heyes stinking so bad Kid almost had to hold his breath when he bent over him.

Kid saw the basin on the floor, saw what was in the basin and what was on the floor near it. He saw the small bowl, tipped on its side. Most of the rats had disappeared but a few remained. Kid shook with anger as he put the pieces together.

Heyes—who'd always put a bath before breakfast, reduced to living like an animal for the past four days. Heyes—who could always talk himself out of a problem, but not this time. This time, he almost hadn't made it.

"I'm sorry, Heyes, I'm so sorry." Kid said it over and over as he cut his partner loose. "I should've come sooner. I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner." Kid picked his friend up and carried him out of the cabin, never giving the two bodies on the porch a second glance.

He carried Heyes to the wagon he had waiting, laid him gently in the back. He climbed up after him and wrapped his arms around him, holding him tight. "You're safe now. I'll take care of you, Heyes. You're gonna be all right. I promise, Heyes. Everything's gonna be all right now." Kid said it for himself as much as for Heyes.

Then Kid climbed into the front seat of the wagon and drove away as fast as he dared.


End file.
